Biological Sciences

This is a graduate level course that is part of the Laurea Magistrale program. The course is intended for advanced level students only. Enrollment is by consent of the instructor. At the end of the course, students will have acquired knowledge on the main morphological, physiological and molecular responses of higher plants to environmental cues and the basic mechanisms of tolerance and adaptation to adverse conditions. They learn about how plants contribute to air quality by the release of biotic particulates and by interfering with air pollutants derived from anthropogenic activities. Due to changes in plant distribution in relation to climate change, students become acquainted with the contribution of alien species to the release of such biotic particulates. Students also learn about methods employed in aerobiology for the quantitative and qualitative assessment of pollen and other air-borne allergens. They gain the capacity to interpret data and critically read scientific literature relating to this topic. Course contents Module 1: role of native and alien plants on air quality synthetic description of plant anatomy and cytology; the adaptive strategies of plants to different environmental conditions; alien plants; aerobiology; pollen and pollination; main airborne bio-allergens: pollens and fungi; food allergens of plant origin and respiratory allergens of pollen origin; role of plants as organisms able to monitor the environmental quality and to influence it through the release of aero-dispersed biological material such as pollens; possible use of plants in environmental phytoremediation. Course contents Module 2: plant resilience to environmental stress; the course will deal with the main responses of higher plants to environmental cues and basic mechanisms of tolerance and adaptation to adverse conditions; introduction to plants and abiotic stress factors associated with climate change; overview of abiotic stress responses in plants at various levels: morphological, physiological, biochemical, and molecular; the role of compatible solutes in preventing damage under stress conditions; oxidative stress, ROS homeostasis, and the importance of enzymatic and non-enzymatic antioxidants; responses and management of salinity stress in plants; symbiotic interactions between plants and soil microorganisms under environmental stress; plant hormones: definition, classes, modes of action and involvement in abiotic stress; gene expression and environmental changes; involvement of microRNAs, transcription factors, and epigenetic changes in stress responses; abiotic stress and secondary metabolites, including VOCs.

The course reviews vision and other types of photoreception, olfaction, taste, hearing, equilibrium, mechanoreception, pressure reception, electroreception, magnetoreception, and senses for temperature and heat radiation. All senses are studied comparatively across the animal kingdom. A range of methods in physiology, ethology, and human psychophysics are taught and used during the course. The course is divided into sections covering different levels of organization. The sections include: the molecular machinery of sensory receptors; the design and function of sensory organs; neuroanatomy, neural processing, and integration of sensory information; and the role of sensory information in behavior and in the adaptation of animals to their environment (sensory ecology). Towards the end of the course, each student carries out a major practical project specializing in one area of sensory biology. The project results are discussed at a full-day symposium organized at a field station.

This course offers a study of the nervous system and its functions. The course explores the scientific study of the central and peripheral nervous systems as well as some of the latest developments in neuroscience. The course focuses on the nervous system's regulation of our somatic homeostasis by discussing topics such as the anatomy and functions of important neurological structures, the hippocampus, the corpus callosum, the pre- and postnatal development of the brain, and neurotransmission. This course consists of tutorial group meetings, lectures, and labs.

This course focuses on several of the ecological environments on the island of Barbados. Topics include: geology and climate, terrestrial and aquatic environments and their flora, and vertebrates and invertebrates of the Caribbean. In addition to lectures, this course includes six fields trips throughout the term. Assessment is based on a midterm, final, and field notebook.

The course is designed to prepare students for leadership in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse workforce. Throughout the course, students are challenged to question, think, and respond thoughtfully to the issues they observe and encounter in the internship setting, and the designated city in general. Students have the opportunity to cultivate the leadership skills as defined by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), such as critical thinking, teamwork, and diversity. Assignments focus on building a portfolio that highlights those competencies and their application to workplace skills. The hybrid nature of the course allows students to develop their skills in a self-paced environment with face-to-face meetings and check-ins to frame their intercultural internship experience. Students complete 45 hours of in-person and asynchronous online learning activities and 225-300 hours at their internship placement.

This course gives a broad overview of biological foundations of behavior. The role of certain brain areas, neurotransmitters, and hormones on brain function are discussed. The course consists of nine topics; the first is an introductory topic regarding the link between brain and behavior. The following topics involve several types of specific behaviors ant their links to the brain anatomy. The topics are: gender development, emotion, memory, sleep, mental illnesses, addiction, hunger and thirst, and language. 

Full course description

Cognitive neuroscience is an entirely new research field that originally emerged from a combination of traditional sciences such as philosophy, psychology, medicine and biology that all investigate the principles of perception, behaviour and cognition from different perspectives.

As technical developments of different methods and tools in the field of cognitive neuroscience came forth, and as theoretical application of different mathematical and computer science-based models were used to explain neuronal functioning, additional disciplines, such as physics, mathematics, bioengineering and computer science materialized as an important part of this research field.

Subsequently, an effective research project in cognitive neuroscience requires an interdisciplinary cooperation, in which each scientific discipline contributes its respective genuine theories, models, techniques and tools for the mutual investigation of the neuronal principles of perception, attention, and cognition.

But can we really watch the brain at work? Are there ways to identify where exactly, and when exactly activation in the brain is necessary to perform a specific mental process? This course will help to give some answers on the basic principles of brain research and it will show relevant applications of these techniques in different areas of cognitive psychology.

Course objectives

• To give an introduction into the new field of cognitive neuroscience.
• To learn which methods a brain researcher can use to investigate the neuronal bases of different mental processes.

Prerequisites

SCI2034 Brain and Action and elementary knowledge of electricity and magnetism as stated under SCI-P(p. vi-viii). 

Recommended 
SCI1009 Introduction to Biology or SCI2038 Physics (or SCI1030 Physics I) or SSC1005 Introduction to Psychology or SSC2025 Memory.